The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
It is known in the art that a seat, or chair, is generally a place to sit to rest and take a load off the feet. The seat is often, a piece of furniture with a raised surface, commonly used to seat a single person.
Seats are supported most often by four legs and have a back. Seats are made of a wide variety of materials, ranging from wood to metal to synthetic material, plastic, and may also be padded or upholstered in various colors and fabrics. Seats are used in a number of rooms in homes e.g., in living rooms, dining rooms and dens, in schools and offices with desks, and in various other workplaces.
Often, a seat is supported by a fluid spring or other height adjustment device used in a support column to enable height adjustment of a seat, table or other surface. A metal standpipe is inserted into a seat base to provide a support column for the fluid spring, or the fluid spring itself functions as the support column. Often, the seat column is subjected to large amounts of stress from both the axial load of the person sitting on the seat, and longitudinal compressive loads from movement and lateral swaying by the occupant of the seat.
It is known that an axial load is a force administered along the lines of an axis. Axial loading occurs when an object is loaded so that the force is normal to the axis that is fixed. It is also known that a compression force, such as the longitudinal compression applied to an object, is the application of power, pressure, or exertion against the object that causes it to become squeezed, squashed, or compacted. Generally, both the material composition and the structure of the object provide the capacity to withstand such compressive loads tending to reduce the size of the object.
Other proposals have involved supportive structures for seats and chairs. The problem with these is that they do not provide both axial load and compressive force support. Also, the ergonomic design is not aesthetic or ornamental. Even though the above cited seat support devices meets some of the needs of the market, an axial and compressive load support assembly for supporting an axial load and longitudinal compression from the weight of a seat, and a load resting on the seat is still desired.